Hakuouki: The Lost Gain
by OuttaGalaxy
Summary: I present you my own take on the anime and manga Hakuouki, staring my own character (OC) instead of Chizuru and involving mainly Harada Sanosuke and Kyuuju Amagiri. As she sets sail on an adventure to find a cure to the Ochimizu in order to save her father from his fate, Nakamura Keiko finds a lead on the whereabouts of Yukimura Koudou but finds herself caught by the Shinsengumi.
1. The Lost Gain: Chapter 1

**(Fan-fiction: Hakuouki, Oc X Sanosuke) The Lost Gain**

**Hi! I present you my own take on the anime and manga ****_Hakuouki_****, staring my own character (OC) Nakamura Keiko instead of Chizuru and involving mainly Harada Sanosuke and Kyuuju Amagiri.**

**I would greatly appreciate any comments or questions you may have, for I love to write and I want to improve my skills.**

**The series, animes and mangas ****_Hakuouki_**** do not belong to me and no offense is intended toward their actual owner and creators.**

**Thank you for reading and leaving your comments!**

Dawn was about to shine through the eastern skies when a stranger set foot on the wooden bridge at the entrance of Kyoto. The time was clear and fresh, the streets calm and peaceful as a breeze softly brushed the alleys and the clothes of the traveler.

A stronger gust washed away the straw hat from the head of the new-comer, who tried instantly to press it back on his head. Once tied down, it didn't try to fly away again, but the rising morning light had caught a glimpse of gold from beneath.

As the stranger made his way around the city, time passed enough to see a bright sunrise light the city and wakes it up. In a matter of an hour, the streets became a hive in which the newly-arrived one just blended in in order to get something he was looking for. And that something, he didn't find it before dusk: Koudou-san hadn't been there for a while, but he used to go in and out the _Mibu wolves_ headquarters. Having only that one hint, the wanderer chose to take a peek at the place, and maybe ask some questions to the people around on the next day.

The stranger tried to silence his grumbling stomach on the way, but its protesting didn't stop until a kind lady gave him an apple. Greatly surprised and thankful, he bowed and looked at the woman with a smile, but she seemed to frown when she noticed the golden hair stranding from the bun that was carefully hidden under the straw hat. She left without bowing back, leaving the traveling young woman alone. She tipped her hat a bit more to re-cover her face and took back her pseudo-male attitude in front of the lady's reaction, letting her smile go down an inch.

Used to it by now, she turned around and resumed her walk toward the headquarters. The apple was tasty, the heat was slowly going down with the sunset and she had a hint. It had been a great day, for most of it. She left the prejudice slide like a drop of water on a duck's feather and finally arrived to her destination as the night fell on Kyoto. Made of stone, the portal guarding the place was huge, and its wooden doors closed for the night.

"I'll make a quick check around, then I'll find a hotel to sleep", the traveler thought to herself.

But a fast inspection of her purse made the girl recognize she might have to sleep somewhere less expensive. In other words: outside. But she would have to get out the city since it was dangerous to sleep in the streets… being a woman was a pain, sometimes.

She was interrupted in her calculations suddenly by a vibrant scream coming from inside the walls and listened with attention to the ruckus that exploded a few seconds later. The cries were familiar to her ear, and the words spoken were also well known for she has heard them often: "BLOOD, I WANT BLOOD!".


	2. The lost Gain: Chapter 2

**When she came to the city of Kyoto, she merely hoped to find some clues on the whereabouts of Koudou-san. A big city like this one saw a lot of new faces everyday, and most people wouldn't notice a quiet man like him. When she finally caught the tail of an interesting lead, she ended up with the whole cat as she stumbled upon an undeniable proof: the presence of a Rasetsu on the Mibu Wolfs' grounds.**

"GIVE ME BLOOD!" was heard again from the premises as the young woman tried to find a way in. Yells from the men inside responded quickly to the outburst of rage of the creature and the sound of blades and spears pierced through the evening.

Was Koudou-san in there too? Was it him who unleashed that beast or was it another failed experiment that escaped his vigilance again? Desperately wanting to know, the girl piled up what she could find to take a peek above the walls.

On the other side was the most ferocious battle she ever witnessed. No blades were sheathed as not one, but two Rasetsus fought their way to a sought and so desired drop of blood in the middle of a ferocious counterattack involving nearly ten men and, oh surprise, a girl, from what she could hear. The monsters got separated by a brilliant teamwork from the opposite team and one of them got defeated by a man with great sword skills. After a couple of briefs orders, the men repositioned themselves to search for the last enemy that escaped.

Absorbed by her search for Koudou amongst the fighters, the improvised spy never noticed that the second Rasetsu had taken shelter right in the shadow of the wall she was leaning on. Hopefully, the beast didn't seem to see her either, with only her hat and her eyes popping from the other side. When it felt it was cornered, however, it jumped with great strength and tackled the young woman, bringing her down with it.

The ground took its toll on the monster as its ribs broke under the elbow of the unfortunate woman he had bumped into two meters above and who had fell on him. She got up with haste and turned to face her opponent as she was quickly retreating in a dark alley, the bones of her ill-fated enemy already cracking and twisting as they were healing.

A great commotion on the other side of the _Mibu Wolf_ wall made her understand that they had seen them, or at least that they had seen the Rasetsu jumping over. The voices moved quickly toward the great doors but one shouted: "I'll get to it first!".

She glared in that direction to witness the formidable leap of a spearman who apparently used his weapon as a pole to get over the barricade in a second. It took him an instant to take down the monster and he was rejoined by his allies straight away. Two of them, ordered by who seemed to be their captain, disappeared with the body.

"Look for witnesses. There must be no one who knows of this", the same man added with severity as their actual onlooker tried to hide further in the shadows. But she was not a ninja, and the moon chose that inappropriate time to show up and splat the scene with just the light it needed for a member of the group to spot her.

"Hey, you there!" shouted the guy with the spear from afar.

It took her nothing more to take her legs and start darting in the opposite direction. Fleeing the scene with all the speed she could manage in the dark, the unwanted spectator dashed away from the sounds of many people rushing after her in the now very oppressing silence of the night. She could only hear their feet, and she didn't have the guts to watch over her shoulder to see if they were getting closer. She took a sharp turn half-running, half-sliding, and tried to hide between two very exiguous walls and crouched to make her presence as small as possible. After a couple split seconds, two men passed by without noticing the young girl. A minute went by, then two, and she finally decided to move from there and leave the place. She peeked in the direction they left toward but didn't see anyone. As she was about to exit the rest of her body from her cover, she heard a discreet cough on the other side of the alley and turned her head around hastily.

"Do not move and I may not hurt you before the others get here".

The man in scarf didn't react to her getting back hurriedly in her tiny hideout until she was completely stuck at the end of it. Then, he just gazed at his prey from the entrance of the dead end and started to wait in silence. From her side, he looked like a very freaky shadow with the moon in his back. Another man arrived shortly after and she hit the panic button when she heard him laughing and asking for the spear guy to come over. A spear would easily reach her in that thin tunnel.

"Let me trough! I can reach him since I'm not as big as you geezers!" rumbled a voice from behind.

"Don't go after him in that burrow. If he has a weapon, you'll be at a disadvantage." answered another that had just arrived. "Let Harada do his thing".

The young woman didn't have to hear anything else to understand that she was in quite a pinch. Looking around, she confirmed that feeling. The only way out was where the tall guy was standing or up by the roofs. Having no other choice and little desire to die there, she tried to jump and grab old of the edge over her head but couldn't step high enough. So she jammed her forearms on both sides of the narrow alley and pushed as hard as she could with her feet and her hands to crawl her way up.


	3. The Lost Gain: Chapter 3

**Noticing a stranger who had seen the Rasetsu they were chasing around their headquarters, the Shinsengumi captains chase him to interrogate him and, fatefully, kill him if he knows too much. But after a short run in the dark alleys, they successfully trap their prey in a dead-end too small for themselves. Feeling his end near, their victim tries to flee by the roof, using the walls to climb up.**

Seeing that his target was escaping, Saito pushed his younger companion, Heisuke, right into the dead-end for him to catch a foot or something before their prisoner managed to reach the roof. The agile boy successfully grasped the left boot of the climber, but a last-hope kick-in-the-face stunned him enough for him to let it go.

"Heisuke, 'you alright?" asked a concerned voice from the entrance of the passage.

"Yeah… no worries!". He paused and added "Get this idiot before he hurts someone else with his stupid ideas!"

"Yamazaki," structured Hijikata on the spot, "get on the roof. We'll catch up to you behind the _Shimabara_. Make him go there".

The so called Yamazaki immediately complied and Shinpachi offered his hands to get him on the top of the closest warehouse. It took him half a second to get up there and start chasing his prey, not so far ahead.

Down in the alley, the others also followed Hijikata-san to the rendezvous point.

From her side of the story, the young women was about to just beg for her life as she heard once again the sound of footsteps catching up on her. Awkwardly stepping from one roof to another, she missed her landing and slipped to the ground, losing her hat in the process. She landed on her feet, happily, and she resumed her sprint through the city. But it was not five minutes later that she found herself cornered from all directions by the _Mibu Wolves_, a faction that had a sour reputation in Kyoto.

Exhausted, she looked at every exit, all covered by two men, even for the roofs, with Yamazaki standing there like an owl, and all she thought was that if she dared speak for mercy, they would know by her tone that she was a woman and might have new plans for her. Since she'd rather die, the young woman just chose a nice corner and waited for further commands from her soon-to-be killers. Not the type of man to make someone wait for long, Hijikata-san asked his question from afar:

"There are no lies that could save you from your fate if your answer displeases us. Why were you at our headquarters and what do you know about what you've seen there?"

Cornered, the young woman refused to answer for the same reason she didn't beg for mercy. She shook her head but didn't say a word.

"If you so wish to die…" started the commander with a groan.

"Hijikata-san!" interrupted a voice so close in the young woman back that she turned around and punched whoever had been sneaky. The man felt down on his back, covering his right eye with one hand. The others instantly drew their weapons out to finish their prey.

"Wait!" shouted Shinpachi while getting back up cautiously. "She's not a guy!".

The prey stiffed her back with apprehension as the fact was announced out loud. She tried to get around Shinpachi and escape but he grabbed her from behind. As good as auto-defense was she, he was too strong to get out his grip; especially since he was tall enough to not let her feet touch the ground as he was holding her tightly. No head shot, no kicks were useful to her. Not that she didn't try… When she calmed down, resigned, the one named Hijikata came closer to get a look.

"Not _again_..." he stated with emphasis. He paused, then added: "Bring her to the HQ. We'll interrogate her there".


	4. The Lost Gain: Chapter 4

**After witnessing them chase after a Rasetsu near their HQ, a young woman in quest of Koudou-san stumble on the Shinsengumi and is hunted down until she gets caught. Taking notice that she is not a man, they decide to take her back and interrogate her thoroughly as to what she knows of the monster she saw them slay.**

Having again one another woman under their roof and in the exact same circumstances as for Chizuru before, the captains of the Shisengumi assembled to lead the interrogation on their prisoner. Last to come in, Shinpachi and Heisuke both sat quite roughly as they were mocked for having a matching black eye. They tried to keep a proud and placid expression, but the teasing of Sanosuke and Souji made them snap out of it and defend themselves as the brave warriors they were, even if a girl had given them a poached eye. Their quarrel ended as Yamazaki slid the door open and let trough the young woman they had apprehended sooner that night.

They first blinked at the view of her hair, its unusual color burning a strong first impression in these men's minds: ash-gold. They then noticed the complexion of her face, her traits being quite atypical, according to the average Japanese woman. She was also a tad taller, and she seemed to have a stronger body.

She kneeled down in front of the central row, composed of Hijikata-san, Kondou-san and Sannan-san. Her grey eyes gazed to one to another but she didn't say a word, although her anxiety was clearly showing. Kondou spoke first:

"Sorry for the inconvenience. My name is Isami Kondou and …"

"With all my respect, let's cut to the questions instead of the presentations, Kondou-san".

As Hijikata spoke these words, many of the others giggled soundly in the prisoner's back. He rattled his throat to get their attention back and was about to start his query when he was interrupted with surprise by the young girl who just blurted everything she could handle to say in 10 seconds, managing a deep bow with her hand tied in her back, her forehead laying on the floor.

"My name is Nakamura Keiko! I am in Kyoto in search of a man named Yukimura Koudou who was last seen here a couple of months ago for he has given to my father the Ochimizu and therefore transformed him into a Rasetsu. I watched as you were eliminating this beast tonight because I recognized its screams and thought the man I look for would be there. I am also very sorry for the injuries I caused to two of your members and apologize deeply for the disturbance I caused tonight."

A bewildered silence lasted for a couple of very awkward seconds before anyone said anything. Then they all kind of started messing around.

"Did she bit her tongue off?"

"The Tatami will be printed on her face."

"Hijikata-san has always had a secret talent for interrogation."

"Koudou-san again? We should open a club for people who are looking for him."

The examinator waved a hand to get the silence back and asked to the young woman to raise her head. Once she had, he easily found that she was indubitably speaking the truth from her honest expression, the remarkable blush on her cheeks and the sorry look she gave. He sighted heavily and asked Yamazaki to lead her to a vacant room for the rest of the night and looked at his men with a recomposed expression.

"As of today, this woman shall stay under arrest within the HQ and under the strict and continuous watch of a member of the Shinsengumi aware of the Rasetsu experiment".

"Eeeeh? Why would she get to stay here as a prisoner when she obviously wouldn't tell anyone if we asked?" disapproved Heisuke with wonder. Hijikata answered immediately with a higher voice:

"When exactly did it become obvious that she was not?!"

Sannan-san interrupted the oncoming quarrel by deciphering and explaining his captain's intentions:

"Her father being a Rasetsu, she could have valuable information on the case and if she kept him alive until now, we may have to discover where and dispose of him before he does more damages".

The guys silently approved to their comrade's analysis even if it was a cruel deception for the young woman. As soldiers, they would do whatever was necessary to minimize the risks of a Rasetsu attack in remote villages or random parts of the city. If he was kept at home, Keiko's father could easily burst in bloodlust and attack any neighboring residents. In order to keep these monsters in control, they would find his hideout and slay him for the greater good.

"Heisuke, since you think so highly of her, you will take the first shift guarding her door".

As Hijikata announced that, everyone stood up to return to their personal quarters and get some rest.

"Maaaa! You guys are the WORST!"

**Hi everyone!**

**I have now posted a grand total of 4 chapters to my story: Hakuouki, the Lost Gain.**

**It should be about 20 chapters total. The whole plot is written down, all that is left is to develop it. That mean there shouldn't be a long period between 2 uploads. I work on it every Saturdays and Sundays, making my story a weekly or biweekly upload, much like a regular anime episode.**

**If I had to give one piece of advice to every beginning author, it would be to decide of an integral story line (a plot) before starting the whole writing work. It helps you directing your story somewhere, and avoids having long and troublesome white page syndrome! Plus, you won't disappoint your readers.**

**I'd like to know very much what you think of my story up until now! Reviews are the greatest part of publishing on a site like this. If you are good at reading English but afraid to comment on my work in that language, you can comment in French. I don't mind since it's my primary language, actually. If you write a review on my work, I will write one for yours with great pleasure.**

**Thank you for reading my story, sincerely, from the bottom of my heart,**

**M.A.**


	5. The Lost Gain: Chapter 5

**Confined to her room after being imprisoned by the Shinsengumi, Keiko apprehends the oncoming days as a captive. Under the close watch of elite members of the ****_Mibu Wolves_****, her search for Koudou-san seems compromised. As for them, the captains of the faction show interest in her story, but their intents for the greater good and the empire could become an obstacle to her final objective…**

They had given her a room equipped with a futon in what seemed to be the center building of the facility. She did not make the bed, or even sit, as she was not one to sleep in presence of strangers she did not trusted. She walked around in her chamber, her anguish keeping her from fatigue and sleepiness.

On the other side of the door, Heisuke was guarding the prisoner. Dozing off a bit, he was soon rejoined by Chizuru, the young girl they were keeping with them as she was the daughter of Koudou-san. She sat beside him, bringing tea to enjoy the time left before sunrise.

"Chizuru! What are you doing here?"

"I could not sleep. There is this odd feeling in the air since the Rasetsus escaped earlier. It seems I cannot shake it off and fall asleep" responded the young woman.

"How unusual!" he laughed. "I don't feel anything uneasy around, maybe you're just shaken by the Rasetsu who almost got you back there! You were lucky that Saitou is so good with a katana."

"Yes, you are right."

She looked toward the door Heisuke was on lookout about and a shiver went down her spine. He noticed it, but didn't make any commentary about it.

When they got out of the reunion earlier that night, Souji and Sanosuke went the same way and talked until they reached their personal apartments:

"What is it about her face? I can't recall what it makes me think of" spouted Souji in wonder.

Also questioning his memory for the same reason, the spearman turned an interested look to his friend.

"You too!? I also thought she was not typical. Her hair is quite unusual as well."

Personally, he liked it. But he still couldn't put his finger on the reason why her face reminded him of something. They walked a moment in silence and he found his answer just before Souji opened the door of his room.

"I know! She's mixed!"

The second captain took a minute to think about it, but he finally had to admit that his colleague was probably right.

"It would explain the hair as well as her stronger constitution. And her eyes do look like those of the westerners. But her manners and the rest is definitely Japanese. You may have a point, Sano."

An access of cough stopped him right there and, once done, the young man entered his room, leaving his friend for the night on this interesting discovery.

Harada resumed his walk to his chamber while thinking about it. He ended up making stories about what might have happened for a stranger and a Japanese to get together, and then fell asleep after this long day they all had.

Meanwhile, in Sannan-san's laboratory, the last Rasetsu he had left was acting in a way never seen before. Whining and wailing at the end of its chains, his attitude was now more like a scared animal's than a crazed one, for once. Intrigued by this phenomenon, the scientist who had undertaken the research of Yukimura Koudou since his disappearance tried unsuccessfully to make it talk about its behavior but he only got confused blabbering and scared glares. Once the sun rose, he went to sleep still knowing nothing about that new attitude of his test subject.

As for Hijikata, he went directly to his apartments after the reunion and putted down on paper the events of the night. Concerned about keeping yet another woman in the Shinsengumi's premises, he also tried to figure out a solution. But even for the oni-captain, it had been long since he last slept and he soon went to bed, turning and returning some possible solutions in his head until he blacked off.

When morning came, a mere hour after, they all awakened without complaining and reunited for breakfast. As a prisoner, Keiko wasn't allowed to leave her quarters, so one of them brought her a meal and stayed there until she was done. She did not talk, only thanking and bowing politely to Saitou who had the responsibility to watch over her for the next couple of hours. Not the type to talk much, he didn't force any discussion on her. When he left, he noticed she might have been up all night from the dark circles under her eyes. Later, he asked Chizuru to bring her some tea. Once back, the young woman looked uneasy, and Inoue-san asked her why during the midday break. She answered with a smile:

"I don't know. Even if this woman is calm and do no threat me, I do no feel comfortable around her. I get a bad feeling every time I get close to her apartments."

Far from going unnoticed, this attitude coming from Chizuru was duly noted in everyone's mind.


	6. The Lost Gain: Chapter 6

**Locked up in a room and constantly guarded by the Shinsengumi's captains, Nakamura Keiko endures the days that slowly pass without company, entertainment or conversation. Prisoner of the ****_Mibu Wolves_****, she can't find any clues about the object of her quest, Yukimura Koudou, and has to be very patient... **

The days flew by, one by one. A week passed, but still no changes. The leaves in the trees were starting to fall down in the pond in front of Keiko's room. Bored and having barely spoken 10 words in the meantime, the young woman got tired of just waiting. As the time went by without any accident, some of her guards permitted that she left the door and window opened to get some fresh air and look outside. They had been good to her, bringing meals and letting her bath once, but she was getting sick of staying in that room.

Inspired by the fall of the leaves and chilled by the morning breeze, Saitou being her guard once again, sitting somewhere outside on the side of the door, judging by the shadow he was casting on the veranda, the prisoner decided to move her sore muscles again. She had been doing katas for the last days as an entertainment, for her boredom was greater than her shyness over the fact that she was practicing karate like a man. That day, after her third or fourth series, she detected a third presence and looked at the door to see who was standing there.

Her hands full of dishes and a cloth suspended on her shoulder, Chizuru stared for a second before averting her gaze form Keiko. She was about to blabber some excuses for being so impolitely gawking into her homologue but she was interrupted softly by the other young woman:

"May I help you with this?" asked Keiko while taking her own plate from the end of the room. "It seems you have a lot of chores to do around here."

Soft and trustful, Chizuru accepted even if she was stressed in her presence. Maybe she could shake off this feeling she had about her by talking a bit? As Saito gave his blessing, she kneeled down on the veranda in front of the entrance of the room and Keiko did the same from the inside. Face to face, the bucket of water between them, they shared the chore without talking at first, but Chizuru finally started a light discussion. They introduced themselves properly and exchanged some banalities on the weather, places they had been to, where they were from… Keiko knew it was a girl in front of her the minute she spoke.

"So you practice Karate because your father teached you. It must be great to have a common point with him as his daughter. What's his name?"

Keiko placed the pair of chopsticks she was rinsing on the clean plate, a discrete grin illuminating her face for the first time:

"His name is Smith. Kent Smith. He's from another country."

"Smite, smiss, smiste…Smitse-san?" tried to pronounce Chizuru with difficulties. Even if she tried hard, Keiko chuckled faintly and they ended up both laughing heartily. On their way from the training grounds, Shinpachi and Sanosuke heard them and came to take a peek, finding the two girls chatting in the doorway, Saito keeping an eye on the scene. Surprised, and also relieved, they walked up to them and cheerfully bashed into the conversation:

"So you really are mixed! Sano though so when we saw you on the first night" announced joyfully the first man. His friend slapped his palm on his forehead in front of the lack of manners of his colleague. After a couple of awkward seconds, Chizuru proceeded to the introductions of the newly arrived men to her feminine homologue and announced that she would make tea for everyone. It's with a very surprised expression that Keiko looked at the two guys sit on the veranda and start yet another conversation with her while the other young woman was taking her leave.

"The time must be especially long when you have to stay here all day" deduced Harada while sitting down in front of her. She did not answer as she didn't want to be rude and lose this opportunity to talk to someone. He noticed. "A couple months ago, Chizuru-chan was in the exact same position you are in right now, so don't worry too much".

These words comforted her more than she thought it would. She smiled in return also asked her some questions about her travels, karate, her origins, which she didn't hide until they asked where her parents lived. She suddenly stopped talking and frowned.

"Ah, there it is. The subject that must not be said. You must have been much stressed when you spilled the beans about your father being a Rasetsu and all on the first night".

"Shinpachi, you have no delicacy and no brains" stated Harada while getting up. He forced his friend to do the same by grabbing his collar and he bowed as well as the other man's as an apology, pressing his head with a firm grip, then left just as Chizuru was coming back with the tea. She noticed the doubtful expression of Keiko and chose to deposit their cups of tea in front of Saitou and the young woman and to get an explanation from the two men.

"Ah, Chizuru-chan! I think I gaffed again" spoke Shinpachi when he saw her coming. "I think Keiko-san will hate me from now on…"

Harada explained the situation to Chizuru, and she ended up asking why she wouldn't talk about her home and her parents. After all, she did talk to her about her father a little. The boys looked at each other and decided to tell their friend that Keiko was actually on a quest to find Koudou-san, who had given the ochimizu to her father and transformed him into a blood-seeking monster.

"Are you saying she wants revenge on my father?" panicked the young girl as doubts invaded her eyes.

"No one says that, Chizuru-chan…"

"But she does hate my father and accuses him of what happened to hers." She denounced harshly. She seemed surprised to hear her own voice sound so hard and bowed for being impolite. She then left, leaving to the guys their cup of tea before rushing to her lodgings.

Bewildered as well, the men looked at each other and said:

"It was inevitable, when two girls are in the same place."


	7. The Lost Gain: Chapter 7

**Prisoner of the Shinsengumi for the last week, Nakamura Keiko finally get to talk to someone instead of just staying silent in her room. Almost making friend with Yukimura Chizuru, the young girl who lives with them, their unborn friendship is aborted when Chizuru learns that Keiko is also in search of her father, Yukimura Koudou, maybe for revenge...**

The following days, Keiko did not receive any visits from Chizuru. Not knowing about what happened, she thought maybe she had hurt her in a way she ignored. Since she couldn't leave her room yet, she was unable to apologize properly and sadly went back to her katas all day long. Sometimes, the guys charged of guarding her exchanged some banalities but quickly retreated to their silent watch after a while. It was mostly saitou, Yamazaki, Inoue or Shinpachi.

Another week passed by. Nothing happened.

One evening, when she was coming back from a sanitary trip after her meal with her escort, Yamazaki, she found Harada practicing in the garden just in front of her cell. It lasted for a moment, his spear piercing and whipping, but he stopped when he became aware of their presence.

"Ah! I was waiting for you. I'm on watch duty for the next couple hours".

His smile soothed the prisoner a bit. Yamazaki leaded her into her room, her prison, and left them. The door being opened, she kneeled in the entrance and asked with a timid voice:

"Do you mind if I watch?" She blushed as she said it but waited for an answer.

Sanosuke took a little time to think about it and gave her his response:

"I don't mind, but come and sit where I can see you, on the veranda."

Happy, yet intimidated, Keiko advanced to the end of the platform and sat, letting her legs hang from the dais. She admired the weapon her guard was holding, a long red spear with golden parts, and appreciated to be elsewhere than in her quarters. The young woman let her eyes wander in the garden with great pleasure and didn't even notice when Harada resumed his training, his faint grin showing that he was relieved that she was enjoying being outside.

Hijikata-san, who hadn't seen their prisoner since her interrogation, came by later that evening and found them in the garden. They were still occupied at the same activity, and nothing seemed suspicious. He was about to leave when Keiko saw him from the corner of her eye and ran back to her room, thinking he might not appreciate her being so freely roaming around. The oni-captain sighted and walked to Harada, who had stopped his training when the young girl returned inside. He was about to speak in self-defense, but he was interrupted by Hijikata's cold and precise voice:

"She may hang out if you or someone is there. None of your men must know about the presence of a woman here though, so be cautious." On a lower tone, he also added to be heard of only his fellow captain: "Try and find what she wants from Koudou-san. We won't get anywhere while just keeping her here. Dying would be a greater end than just rotting in her room, so find her some occupation before she gets the wrong idea of fleeing this place".

He left by the same way he came, nodding slightly when he saw Keiko bowing profoundly for his kindness.

Once he was gone, the young woman went back outside and picked up where she had left: stargazing. When Harada's shift ended, he found her resting on the wooden pillar of the veranda, asleep.

"Just like a little child. What an unusual sight!"

The arrival of Shinpachi awoken her and she stood up to regain her room. Before closing the door, she bowed at Sanosuke and thanked him heartily for letting her out for so long. Embarrassed, he nodded and left his place to his comrade.

That night, Shinpachi didn't hear her walking around for hours for the first time since she arrived. She fell asleep on her futon the second she laid on it and slept soundly until morning.


	8. The Lost Gain: Chapter 8

**In her search for Yukimura Koudou, Nakamura Keiko finds herself imprisoned by the Shinsengumi within their headquarters. The captains only, as well as Chizuru, being aware of her presence, they keep her in order to discover the hiding grounds of a Rasetsu, her father. Two weeks already passed since she was taken, but it was acknowledged that she could now walk in the gardens next to her room if someone was with her.**

Another seven days came and passed, Keiko mostly spending her days wandering in the gardens with her guards. She also practiced her katas in her room, shared tea with Saitou, Harada and Inoue, and some chores were incorporated in her daily routine such as cleaning the dishes and doing some laundry. She still refused to talk to Shinpachi, except for the daily exchange of formalities.

It was a fresh day of autumn and she was just finished mending some clothes when Harada brought with him a large wooden panel to repair during his watch duty. It was utterly destroyed, as she could see, but he still insisted on trying. The young woman took the clothes basket and handed it over to Inoue, who had came to take it back, and she sat in front of him to analyze the work to be done.

"This part is so wrecked that it would be better to just change it. The rest might be possible to deal with… I guess" she thought out loud while proceeding to remove the torn paper from the wooden parts.

"I'll get a new piece for this one and paper. You get that ready by the time I come back!"

The young man rose up and left for his errand, leaving her with the ruined panel. She cleaned it up with ease, and then began fixing the damaged sticks with recycled stripes of the old paper, using the light glue Harada had brought along with the door. It started to get colder outside so she went inside, closed the door and resumed her task in her room. Even without a brazier, it was warmer like that. Who would have given a firepot to her, a prisoner, anyway? The greatest idea if they wanted a bonfire to consume the whole headquarters would be to arm an enemy with that kind of object.

It took more than an hour for Harada to come back with the goods they needed to restore the panel. When he asked her to come in and opened her door, he had a very cheerful expression and smiled widely.

"Anything's the matter, Harada-san?" she inquired with suspicion, a slight grin enlightening her face in reaction to his great mood.

"I thought you might try to escape while I was gone!"

Keiko recalled that he actually left her absolutely alone, and for more than an hour. She turned that around in her head for a couple seconds, understanding quite quickly that it all had been a test, probably schemed by the men she had met until now in the Shinsengumi. She also clearly noticed that she didn't think about escaping even once during his absence, making it clear that they had successfully made her their pet or something along those lines. He let her think in silence, grinning at her from the entrance, but he was dismounted by her answer:

"I'm just like a dog on a leash for too long. Even if you remove the leash, it stays within its allowed area. And during that time, my father is waiting for a cure that will never come." She erased her sorrows from her traits and asked overly politely: "Could you please deposit these materials here and take your leave? I will tend to this until tonight and hand it back when it's done. Please."

She bowed and didn't intend to raise her head until she heard the door slide and close. But before he exited, Harada took the time to say:

"More than a dog, I'd say your attitude was that of a respectable woman who wouldn't hit someone in its back. Whether you were aware you were being tested or not, the results show that you have the heart of a good person."

"What exactly make you think I wouldn't have tried to escape if I actually noticed in time that the path was clear?"

"The only clue you have about Koudou-san is that he was here the last time he was seen. Also, I don't think you would go back to your family empty ended without the doctor or a cure for your father. And… you looked like you enjoyed yourself in the last days…"

She straightened a bit at this mention, discovering that it might be true: She did like her discussions with Harada and Inoue, and she loved to drink tea with Saitou, who sometimes exchanged some very interesting thoughts with her. Keiko admitted silently that the last days were enjoyable, even if she was constantly under surveillance. She never liked to be alone…

"If you like it here, why don't you just say it and stay!?"

Harada used enough emphasis on this last question to shake the young girl and force her to look up at him. She remembered the harsh time in the streets, looking for information she almost never found, being hungry and sleeping in the forest to save the little money she had for her quest, being pushed around for being of mixed origin. She realized she actually was very happy to have found a place to eat and sleep properly after her month of roaming around alone.

The spearman sat bluntly in the doorway and declared solemnly:

"I'm not leaving this room until we are done with this panel!"

His brave looks and seriousness convinced Keiko to invite him inside and resume her work with him. They were getting started when Harada, noticing her cloudy eyes, asked if she was crying.

"I'm not crying! I'm just happy, a little…" she pouted vehemently, leaving a smile on both their face.


	9. The lost Gain: Chapter 9

**The Shinsengumi welcomes once again a woman within its headquarters. Now persuaded of her collaboration, they try to find her a place where she would be neither a hindrance or simply useless...**

After a long discussion to find tasks and ideas for Keiko, the men, reunited in an informal reunion, sighted heavily in face of Yamazaki ad Saito, who turned down everything they said. They refused to let her handle the kitchen, because she was a very terrible cook. She could burn steamed rice if left unsupervised! They refuted the idea of putting her in charge of the grocery for the same reason. Every activity involving being outside the headquarters was declined because of her atypical features that would draw attention, and they had to brush aside the accounting, since she could not read.

"She's from a poor family after all, and she used to live in a rural area, too…" reminded Shinpachi while thinking about something else.

"And the usual chores are already done perfectly by Chizuru, and she's still uneasy around Keiko" added Heisuke, handholding his head in boredom.

The only thing that missed in the organization was troops; soldiers with experience. But a woman was not allowed to join in their forces, was she disguised or not. Plus, with her blond hair and physical characteristics, Keiko was much harder to conceal than Chizuru, being older and, well, more feminine.

They stared blankly around for a while, completely out of ideas. It lasted until they heard light footsteps on the veranda and saw a distinguished individual pass in front of them, the wall being opened to benefit of the great temperature outside. His costume was not adjusted to his size and floated around as he walked.

"Hoy, who are you and what is your business with the Shinsengumi?" asked Souji quite rudely, giving a mean look to the intruder.

"Ah! Here you are. Can someone please help me tie these clothes accordingly? I've never seen anyone geared like that so…"

The person shook the sleeves of the outfit to show them how much they were unadjusted and the guys finally understood.

"K-Keiko-san?" stuttered Heisuke with incredulity. "Why the hell are you dressed like an official?"

Shinpachi punched him soundly on the head for his bad mouth as the others waited for someone to react. It was now agreed that she could roam around the premises with a male outfit, but they didn't think she would do it se freely from the first day. Finally, Saitou rose from the tatami and joined the young woman outside to gear her correctly. At the same time, the others observed her transformation and Inoue asked with curiosity:

"How did you dye your hair black, Nakamura-chan?"

Effectively, her golden mane that was not concealed in her hat was the color of the ink. She freed one of her hand from her desperately long sleeves and touched her head to show her stained fingers to him.

"Charcoal. It stains, but it works great if I don't continually touch it."

Saitou was almost done with her costume; she had to raise her hands for him to tie the textile belt around her waist, leaving it loose to give her some volume. Once all set, she asked for their opinion:

"So… what do you think? Do I look like a man yet?"

She turned around to show them, really questioning out of concern. Hijikata rushed in before anyone could say any comment.

"Are you ready yet? He's with Kondo-san already!" he said with his usual pressing orders.

They all nodded and he pulled her toward the reception room, not explaining anything to the others, who were left quite astounded by the last five minutes. Still before any of the guys spoke, Sannan-san joined them and sat with them, like before his accident.

He explained quite simply: "A westerner was sent by the shogunate as an ally and precious collaborator. As you already know, none of us speaks fluent English, in opposite to Nakamura-san, who has mastered this language since her childhood."

They stared in awe.

"So… Hijikata-san found her a use before we did? How frustrating!" blasted Heisuke with humor as the others relaxed.

They all agreed that the costume was great. Keiko's tinted hair and eyebrows were barely noticeable, and the floppy clothes were hiding everything she had to conceal. And her voice, not too high pitched, wouldn't drag any attention either. Contented, they occupied themselves at something else; Souji, Inoue and Sannan discussing on the veranda, Saitou and Harada training, Shinpachi and Heisuke going on an errand, and Inoue going for his patrol along with Yamazaki. Around diner time, they all gathered back together to take their meal and were surprised to see hijikata pushing insistently in Keiko's back for her to get in the dinning room and sit with them. She was still wearing her male's clothes, but she had removed the hat because it itched. The oni-captain commented:

"Her fingers were marked so much from her constant scratching that she was ashamed of even showing them. You should have seen the water when she rinsed them."

She finally sat between Shinpachi and Heisuke, but Harada quickly saved her by discreetly pointing another place. Suspicious, she agreed and went by Souji and Saitou, a much better choice by far. Everyone asked how if the negociation went smoothly, but she refused to answer in stead of Hijikata. He replied objectively:

"It was a good choice to bring her along."

They cheered, and he added with a thin smirk:

"His Japanese was terrible."

All of them laughed soundly just as Chizuru was coming in with the plates, with the help of Kondou, who was also done with all the official affairs for the evening. The young girl noticed Keiko within the ranks and asked politely:

"I was not yet introduced to our guest, who is it?"

Heisuke smiled widely and answered with energy that it was her female homologue, and she stared at her with surprise.

"Eh! You are so changed with these clothes and your hair Nakamura-san!"

The exuberant two explained to their friend what happened earlier while she was servicing everyone. Finally, they were happy to see her smile to Keiko and sit down with them. Once done eating, Shinpachi and Heisuke having proved why no one sat between them once more by fighting over food, they both suggested a night of moon viewing and drinking to celebrate.

"Come on! Chizuru-chan, Keiko-san, come along too!" begged the youngest when joined his hands. "It won't be fun if they only pick on me for being drunk before them!"

To his great surprised, Keiko responded right away:

"Why not, I don't mind a little cup of sake from time to time."

She then noticed their astonished looks and immediately apologized frantically while bowing to the ground.

"Sorry! I was intruding without your permission!" she said in a hurry, just as that time when she arrived at the headquarters.

She peeked at Hijikata's frown and waited for him to say anything. He made the suspense last for a second, and then said coldly:

"Sometimes, you make me think you might have a chestnut instead of brains. He invited you, didn't he? It counts as permission as much as any agreement you may have with any of the captains of the Shinsengumi."

"Hey, hey, hey, Hijikata-san! Did you forget that it's a woman you are talking to?" reproached Shinpachi with a witty smirk.

The oni-captain blushed very lightly, but he was saved by the profusion of gratitude spilled by Keiko, her face as red as Harada's bindings.

**Hi again to all of you!**

**Two weeks have passed, nine chapters have been uploaded. If you haven't emitted any reviews or comments yet, I would greatly appreciate your effort and, as I said in my previous note, I will also review your work if you do the same for me.**

**The comments I am the most looking for are:**

**-The quality of my English (Do I make repetitive mistakes, did I use the wrong word somewhere, etc.)**

**-The depth of my characters (Are they like the originals, or are they too shallow? Why?)**

**-The quality of the plot (Is it going somewhere? Are you interested to read the rest of the story? Why?)**

**-What do you think about my OC (Nakamura Keiko)?**

**You can also just leave a little comment to make me smile.**

**Thank you so much for reading my story until now! It makes me proud and very thankful for your support.**

**Have a great day! Sincerely,**

**M.A.**


	10. The Lost Gain: Chapter 10

**Earning the trust of the Shinsengumi through hard work, Nakamura Keiko still hasn't earn their heart and tries to comply to their demands to her best, keeping her goal in mind and a male's attire at all times. **

Over the passing of the few next days, it was frequently asked from Keiko that she dressed as an official and acted as an interpret for the group. The men sent over by the allied members from the shogunate were mostly from the west, and not many even knew how to act accordingly in presence of Japanese officials. The young woman often had to explain to Kondou-san why some of them reacted in different ways throughout the daily rituals and the conversations they had. Her experience proved to be useful.

She was allowed to meet the rest of the Shinsengumi as long as she was dressed as a man and behaved like one, but a problem was quickly noticed by those who knew of her secret.

"She's unbelievably bad at being manly."

Souji's comment surprised the others who were training just beside him. Heisuke, Shinpachi and Harada interrupted their activity to come and peep around the corner already occupied by their friend, discovering a view that explained fully his amused statement: still dressed as a man, but with a much simpler garb, her hair darkened by coal and tied up in a topknot, Keiko was crouched in the grand alley in front of what seemed to be a puppy, and she was petting it with an expression that didn't suit a male at all. The young girl's attitude, laugh and posture were clearly that of a girl. At least, no one else detected her manners before Harada stepped in, leaving the other guys behind, and mercilessly enlightened her on the issue.

"You womanliness is flooding the whole headquarters." He said straightforwardly while crossing his arms.

Startled, the young woman turned around hastily and nearly punched him as she had for Heisuke and Shinpachi. Knowing she had nothing to fear inside their grounds, she prevented herself to hit him and just stared back at his merciless grin.

"Time for a lesson!" his deep voice declared while looking down on her.

"No, this is silly!"

Harada made Keiko fall on her back again by pressing his spear on the back of her ankles. Biting the dust again, she did not dare let go of any complaints and got back on her feet right away.

"Start over again!" he ordered strictly.

The guys, gathered on the veranda to assist to this very interesting display of the spearman trying to teach the rudiments of being a man to their newly acquired, non-official member. So far, he had made her stand like a man, talk like one, and was now force-feeding her with a crash-course about walking like a real male. Nevertheless, she had a lot to learn.

"Sanosuke sure is a demon when it comes to training." stated Shinpachi with pity flowing through his voice. "Still, it makes for a great show!" he added, whipping his sympathy with a greater dose of enthusiasm.

The others agreed, enjoying their time as bystanders to the lesson, later joined by Chizuru, who had detected the get-together as she was heading toward the kitchen to prepare the evening meal. When she interrogated them as of what was going on, Souji answered with a great deal of amusement barely restrained within his words:

"Sano-san is beating the man out of the young mistress."

Noticing the display in the court, she looked long enough to see her feminine homologue meet the ground yet again after a questionable attempt at walking like the spearman who was giving her the example. Out of her usual gentle heart, she walked toward the two performers and affirmed with an inch of credibility:

"Keiko-san is asked to assist me in the preparations for tonight's dinner. May I interrupt your training for the time being, please?"

Harada complied gracefully to her demand and, as an acknowledgment of her effort, stroked his student's head gently before letting her go. Her face going up a shade, she stared at him.

"Sorry Harada-san, but you should refrain from doing that again." The young woman muttered with a sorry look.

Startled, the young man's cheeks also blushed and he replied, seeming confused and disappointed:

"I apologize, I didn't think it would upset if I touched you head without permission…"

"Now your hand is dirty because of me."

He looked at his hand, full of coal and blackened heavily, then at Keiko who smiled but still looked very apologetic. He felt like a complete idiot and immediately responded with embarrassment:

"Well, I don't mind getting dirty for a lady!"

His answer brought tons of chuckles and giggles coming from the veranda, thwarting the young woman who reddened even more. Finally, Chizuru wanted to grab her hand and lead her to the kitchen to save her from her awkwardness, but a sizzling dart of pain fused trough her arm as she did so. Her reaction, accompanied by the painful cry she let out, caught the attention of everyone in the courtyard. Staggered by her sudden yell, Keiko immediately turned to her and asked if everything was alright.

"Did I hurt you? Can I help you, Chizuru-chan?" her caring voice fused with worry.

"I'm good now, there's no more pain… I might have done a wrong move today and it suddenly ached when I used my hand."

Soothed, everyone calmed down. Still, Keiko noticed that Souji, as well as Saitou, had drawn their blades at her at the very second they heard Chizuru's scream. Noting that in a corner of her mind, she kept her eyes to the ground with grief as she understood she was still a stranger and a potential danger to these men, not their friend. Recovered completely, her only female company leaded her toward the kitchen, but at their great surprise, Souji asked to join them in the dinner's preparations. They agreed, assembling in the kitchen with a bit of awkwardness that twitched horribly.


	11. The Lost Gain: Chapter 11

**After trying to convert her into a man through a harsh training, Keiko was asked to help in the kitchen for the dinner. Distracted by the apparently hostile attitude of Souji after Chizuru's access of pain in her presence, the young woman carelessly uses her tools and creates an awkward situation for everyone. **

"I'll do the cooking!" announced the youngest woman with an energy that seemed a bit constrained. She knew how terrible the other two were with food and just delegated the making of the fire to Souji and the peeling of the vegetables to Keiko. Once divided, the tasks went smoothly without a lot of words. The man joined the newcomer when he was done with his share of the work, his hands nimble with a knife, as she could see.

Keiko knew why he had insisted to come along to the kitchen: leaving Chizuru alone with her was a gamble he was not about to make, especially since she wasn't one who could defend herself, in his idea. He was present as a bodyguard, and she was the suspected danger.

Distracted by his evident talent to cut things up, the young woman's knife slit right through the piece of meat she was dicing and opened her palm badly. Dropping the blade as she was trying to stop the surprising flow of blood from dripping everywhere, she heard a loud bang in her back and turned around to see Chizuru, her face as pale as a sheet and unconscious on the floor.

Souji, reacting immediately, jumped at her side and verified her life sign in a matter of seconds. In pain from the cut, Keiko rushed outside for help and stumbled upon the guys who had resumed their training at the same place she had been practicing her manhood. The stopped when they saw her running to them and listened carefully to her explanations:

"Chizuru-chan just fainted in the kitchen! Please, go and help her!"

As they hurried to where she came from, Keiko ran to the well and tried to fill a bucket of water to wash her wound. Using only one hand, she hardly succeeded to pull it up but she spilled it before she could make any use of the liquid. Once again, she threw the bucket at the end of the rope inside the well and tried to bring it back up, but the stress made her fail once again. Pressed on her _Haori_, her fist dripped painfully and stained the cloths more and more as she panicked instead of seeking the help of someone. After another vain tentative, the young woman felt a strong hand reach for the rope and pull some water from the well. She almost fell on her back when the weight of her charge was suddenly taken away but another arm grabbed her tightly before she met the ground. Dark gold eyes stared at her until she felt the need to thank Harada for helping when she was in such a pinch.

"No need for gratitude now. Were you fetching water for Chizuru-chan?" he asked while putting the bucket on the edge of the well and her back on her feet. He noticed the red stains on her hand and immediately asked to see. The wounded woman did not hesitate and half opened her fingers, showing a pool of blood more than the cut that caused it.

"Shimata! Don't move, I'll pour water on it."

He grabbed the pail and inclined it over her injury, the liquid washing away the blood and allowing him to see the cut. The part of her palm related to the thumb was opened on about an inch and a half. The moment the bucket was empty, the gash immediately restarted flooding her hand once more.

"You need suture" the spearman confirmed with a concerned smirk, an expression that made the young woman chuckle. "It's not a time to laugh, _baka_" he added with a less worried face. "I'll stop the flow for now and get Yamazaki when he's done with Chizuru. You stay where someone can see you until I'm back, understood?"

The man used his left bindings to wrap her hand tightly, than leaded his protégée to the veranda and calling for a man who was passing by to look after her. Keiko showed a brave face to the stranger, trying to be as manly as possible as she was regaining her calm. Harada came back about fifteen minutes later, Yamazaki following in his steps.

"How is she?" she asked sincerely while he rushed toward her.

"She's fine" the second man said, and his usual sharp and short answer soothed the young woman for a moment.

"Ah! Good, I'm relieved" she answered with an evident drop of pressure.

They took her to her room and the warrior-doctor prepared his equipment to seal the wound. The young woman examined the items with apprehension and focused on one in particular.

"Why do you need _sake_? You'll get me drunk before stitching the cut?"

He gave her a serious look and responded:

"You cut yourself with a knife you were using to cut meat. I must disinfect the wound before closing it."

Her eyes widened as she considered pouring such a strong alcohol on the injury; she immediately decided she didn't want to. She tried to convince them to just leave the bandage and let the gash close by itself, but she was refuted immediately and told she would get an infection and lose her thumb overtime. She regretted that the bottle of sake was not to knock her out and only complied to remove the bindings when Harada promised that she could hold on his hand and crush his fingers if she needed to during the process to canalize the pain. He seemed to make fun of her distress, and for that she would clutch his hand as strongly as she could to make him lose his amused smile. Useless to say, she hardly succeeded to squeeze his fingers hard enough to make him suffer even a little bit.

"You are not even angry after me, Keiko-san. Don't try to look irritated, it doesn't suit you" he assumed in a mocking smile. She punched him soundly on the shoulder with her healthy hand but he just laughed, forgetting that a woman wouldn't normally hit anyone in such a manly way. Once the suture done, Yamazaki strapped her hand in a clean cloth once again and told her to eat properly in order to heal fast.

"I'll clean the kitchen and resume the preparations for the dinner."

The two men looked at each other and came to the same conclusion:

"Rest here instead, we'll get someone to do it" one of them said, not wanting her to know they were actually concerned about the quality of her cooking. "I'm sure Saito or someone else resumed the food arrangements after the incident".

Yamazaki left the room but Harada decided to prepare the futon for Keiko, allowing her to get some rest before the meal. He only departed when she was correctly installed and drifting to sleep and rejoined the other captains in the dinner room. They already were debating over the latest happenings.

"Chizuru-chan has always been uncomfortable around this woman. She might be just like these _onis_ who are siding with the other clans." accused Souji.

"There's nothing to prove it. And trust me, she not healing like these guys" critiqued Harada while taking his place next to Shinpachi.

"I don't know why were still talking about that!" barged Heisuke with his usual straightforward manners. "Chizuru saw the blood from Keiko-san's injury and fainted. Maybe she's just afraid of blood!"

The hypothesis failed miserably when they recalled the numerous times when she had seen them bleed or slice through their enemies.

"She had a small outburst of pain earlier. Maybe she's just exhausted or sick and her emotions simply overflowed when she saw her friend get hurt" rationalized Kondou with perspective. "Nakamura-san didn't even touch her, according to Souji, so we can't blame her for this."

They agreed, some more easily than others. Once the dinner served, Heisuke brought her meal to Keiko who hadn't shown up and made sure Chizuru was also asleep in her bed, and then went to sleep himself as the rest of the men did when he noticed they were both sleeping soundly.

That night, Sannan faced a great challenge as the Rasetsu he was keeping for experiments became restless. Moaning and shacking his shackles relentlessly, it needed a stronger dose of the medicine used to counter its thirst to stop it from making noises. Still, he failed to keep him under control and, an hour before dawn, the beast clawed its way out.


	12. The Lost Gain: Chapter 12

**After injuring herself stupidly while she was preparing dinner, Nakamura Keiko is sent to her room to get some rest. Far from knowing the Shinsengumi still had a Rasetsu hidden within its premises, she sleeps soundly without discerning the imminent danger lurking about in the headquarters.**

Keiko was dreaming of her family that night. Their house, built atop a small hill, its luxurious garden laid in front of the porch, the oak tree providing shadows on the west side of the grand alley. She remembered the white tattered walls, the brown tiled roof, and the bamboo forest concealing their cottage from the rest of the village. Her mother, her fine hands playing the shamisen for Seien, the youngest member of the family, was sitting on the chair her husband had made especially for his wife to play music. Finally, her father, his short brown hair brushed by the wind, calmly executing one of the most impressive Kata she ever witnessed.

But she knew it was a dream, because the scene was splashed with the light of the sun, darting its rays on the man, making his white dogi reflect a pale aura. Her father would never practice in the day. He never had since she was born. But the sight was full of peace, of happiness and joy, so she kept dreaming.

Until the moon rose in the morning sky, it's pale face turning to Ken Smith and causing him to grow white hair and flash red eyes to his perfectly happy family.

Keiko emerged from her dream and her slumber at this very moment, cold and nervous. She took the time to calm her heartbeat and her breath before she noticed the unusual sound of a ruckus coming from further in the headquarters. Fearing an attack from a rival group, the young girl immediately pushed her blanket away and got on her feet. She had just finished gearing herself when she felt a cold chill descend her spine in a bolt of intuition. Slowly turning around, she witnessed the slow ascension of the Rasetsu on the wall, its wrecked fingers grasping the littlest inch of wood to suspend it vertically, even when it reached the ceiling and continued its advancement until it was right over Keiko. They stared at each other for half a second and, knowing what she was facing, the young girl placed herself slowly, carefully, into a defensive position.

"They're looking for you, boy" she murmured to it smoothly, knowing it would jump in a matter of seconds. "I know your urge to…kill, is very strong, and you don't know how to control it…yet."

Her voice broke on the last words and the monster picked her fear, making it even more alert, its red eyes glaring at her without blinking. She avoided the word "blood" on purpose to evade the subject. Based on her experience with her father, she tried to tame the beast and find the man concealed in it.

"Remember! You have a name, don't you? What is it? Who where you parents? Do you have any family?" her soft voice continued.

The beast turned its head to the side, a doubtful expression clearing his predator aspect.

It had happened a small number of times with her father. He would start losing his reason; his hair and eyes color would change and his strength grow dramatically. Keiko's mother would tell her and Seien to stay low and avoid eye contact, and just kneel slowly to show she was harmless. Imitating her, the two children would do the same, Keiko sitting in front of her brother, protective but confident, for her father had never hurt her once, even in that state. He would recognize them after a while and calm down, allowing them to resume their activities.

Even if this Rasetsu was a complete stranger, she thought that it might work. Sadly, it did not.

After a few seconds of hesitation and empty stares, the Rasetsu crawled back to the ground, blocking the door by its presence. Stuck in the center of the room, the young woman closed her fist and prepared for an imminent attack. The sounds of the warriors looking for the beast came from too far for her to expect any assistance before a while; she had to hold until then. The monster stretched its arm to her and ordered, almost softly at first but yelling the last one with rage and drips of saliva:

"Give me BLOOD!"

To her surprise, it kept its hand extended to her and waited for an answer, its face showing an overwhelming conflict tearing him apart, his expression as enraged as it tried to keep it composed.

"No… no blood, sorry" and her face showed clearly that she was really apologetic.

Her answered triggered the return of every killer instinct in the beast.

It jumped forward and tried to rip her off with his bare hands…

But she received it with her fist and broke its nose so badly that it stayed crooked and bled heavily before the Rasetsu launched its next offensive, sprinting to her left and trying to snap her shoulder. She received him with a kick that sent her flying, but also stopped it. The young woman swiftly rose again and tried to run to the exit but the beast caught her foot, making her fall yet again, but she responded with her heel, cracking two or three of its fingers in the process. She turned on her back and received her opponent, who had jumped toward her, and used its own speed to push it through the paper panel of the door, opening an exit. She barely had the time to get up and stretch a hand to grab a wooden piece from the broken door that the monster was already jumping back at her, making her stumble and twist her ankle. She managed to stay on her feet and pointed her improvised weapon to her enemy.

It barely lasted for thirty seconds. Still, the intensity of the fight had made her breathless. In front of her, the fingers, nose, and small cuts from its passage through the door repaired themselves as the monster was turning once again to her.

It attacked again, but her crude weapon sliced an unclean cut in its forearm. The blood splashed on the remnants of rice paper walls separating the room from the garden and dripped from the hideous injury, but it didn't stop the Rasetsu. It slammed the wooden piece off her hands violently. Keiko tried to kick him again, but it jumped and her leg slashed the air. Her twisted ankle flinched at this moment and she fell on the floor, only to be pressed to the ground by her opponent who landed on her back. She tried to crawl toward the exit, but she felt the sharp pain of the teeth burrowing into the tender flesh of her neck and elbow.


	13. The Lost Gain: Chapter 13

**A Rasetsu escaped the supervision of Sannan-san and is roaming in the Shinsengumi's headquarters. As the captains are searching for it, the monster has found its victim and succeeded in biting her. Nakamura Keiko, in a severe situation, still fights for her life.**

It was a curious sensation, to be bitten and drained of its blood. Keiko thought of that for a split second. The sharp pain had made her yell from the bottom of her lungs, but now she could barely manage to keep track of her thoughts. As a last resort, she stretched her hand to the first piece of broken wood she saw and stabbed the Rasetsu feeding off her in the face, making it shriek in agony and leave its feasting for a time. Afraid of how feeble she had become in such a little time, she tried to flee in the garden but never reached it. Her opponent climbed back on her and delved in her neck with his teeth once again, making her shout with despair.

Meanwhile, in the courtyard, the captains of the Shinsengumi were trying to find the beast. No one knew where it was, so they scattered around the headquarters in teams of two. The first duo to hear the screams of Keiko was formed by Hijikata and Sannan, and they rushed to her apartments in a hurry, calling for the others. Her second cry of pain reached Harada, Saitou, Heisuke and Shinpachi, who were soon rejoined by Souji and Chizuru, awoken from her sleep by the commotion. They arrived at her room in a rush, and thought they might be too late from the torn paper walls and the blood sprinkled on their remnants. There were no more sounds of a battle, so they carefully entered the room to find the most shocking sight:

Keiko was half sitting, half kneeling on the floor, her back partially uncovered and showing the marks of severe biting, her face as pale as if she was dead. Hijikata was getting her to tell him exactly what happened, but her lost of blood was so apparently huge that he just replaced her garb and ordered Yamazaki to tend to her injuries. But the most disturbing piece of the scene was Sannan, his blade drawn at a crouched figure in the corner of the room. The man in the angle clearly looked human from their point of view, but blood covered most of his face, particularly around the region of his mouth.

A cold rage burning through his eyes, Hijikata slowly approached the man in the corner and, placid, ordered to Sannan to detain him again since they didn't have to kill him. The Rasetsu apparently stopped drinking when his victim was about to collapse and, when the first duo arrived to her room, that man was trying to help her frenetically, his hair still changing from white to black. This unprecedented turn of event brought Hijikata to allow Sannan to keep the man, since he asked for this. They could interrogate him later, when they would have secured him for real, this time.

None of the captains dared to speak. Between Hijikata's apparent anger, Sannan's objection to kill his test-subject and the man's fearful expression, they just moved along and left, leaving Keiko in Yamazaki's care with Harada, who decided to stay in case he was needed. As he was about to follow the others, Heisuke noticed Chizuru was shaking terribly and staring confusedly at the room, its occupants, and Keiko. She hadn't come closer than twenty feet from the scene all along.

"What is it Chizuru? You're not feeling well again?"

The girl stepped backward, her eyes switching to the young man with what seemed to be an irrational panic, but she managed an answer that made him furrow his eyebrows:

"I feel a great danger whenever try to get closer. I can't even go to see if Keiko-san is alright… It's like I might die if I get closer."

Even if the scene was actually terrifying, Heisuke knew that his friend was able to withstand that kind of atmosphere. What had changed since them for her to be so anxious about this time? The young warrior held her shoulders and leaded the young woman to her lodgings and only left when he was sure she was comforted by his report on her friend's state.

Meanwhile, Harada took the liberty of carrying Keiko to a room next to his with Yamazaki following in his tracks. He putted her down and left, leaving her in his colleague's care, and fetched a futon and a blanket from the reserve. When the spearman came back, she stretched a hand to him as soon as he was in her sight. He tought it was incredibly cute, even with her face covered in drips of blood and the painful smile she bravely showed, and he was about to take it when she said in a pitiful voice, half crying:

"He's going to pour _sake_ again…"

The man shook his head with pity and sat just next to her, taking her white hand in his, surprised it was so cold and trembling. He placed her against his chest so she wouldn't move during the treatment, giving her some warmth at the same time. Yamazaki, his face showing nothing except professionalism, placed a clean cloth on the injured area.

"Hold tight, this is going to itch."

He poured the alcohol on the fabric and left it to react. Harada felt his protégée stiffen suddenly, but the young woman appeared to calm down after only a couple seconds, even if the treatment was still going on.

"She's less combative than yesterday. You used less sake this time, Yamazaki-kun?" he asked with compassion.

The surgeon looked at him with his monotonous expression and answered plainly:

"She fainted."

"Oh…"

**Hello again everyone!**

**I felt these last chapter went a bit fast, I hope you're not lost yet.**

**The nightmare of every author of this century happened to me yesterday: my file containing the whole story crashed and all the letters became tiny little black squares... Except for the two last chapters which I barely managed to restore. I made my day this morning by checking for a hidden save file on my USB key just in case. I FOUND ONE! Now I recovered the whole thing and there's nothing that's going to delay my weekly publication.**

**See you next week with another couple of chapters! Don't forget that I review and comment stories made by people who do the same for me, your effort will earn you my participation on your profile.**

**Thank you very much for reading so far, you are the best!**

**Sincerely,**

**M.A.**


	14. Quick word!

Hey everyone!

I am so very sorry for the wait. I planned to publish every week but university made me take a break for a while. Long story short, I had four weeks late in 2 of myclasses and it was really heavy. The good news is: the exam was today and it went very well.

There is already a new chapter that is written and I will start writing another one tomorrow during work. There will be an upload within the next 3 days. Thank you to those who wrote that they were waiting for the next chapters, it warmed my heart.

You'll hear from me very soon!

M.A.


	15. The Lost Gain: Chapter 14

**Attacked by a Rasetsu during the night, Nakamura Keiko stays at the center of a mystery that draws the attention of the captains of the Shinsengumi. Chizuru's weaknesses, the Rasetsu acting strangely… could it be related to the young woman?**

The next day, the guys were cleaning up the mess in Keiko's old lodgings, their men being kept away so they wouldn't suspect the presence of monsters in the headquarters. The stains on the _tatami_ were too big to be removed, so they threw them away, the panel was a complete loss and the walls had to be cleaned. Plus, the futon was in ruins.

"Garbage! How the hell did they ruin the room this much?" complained Heisuke while getting rid of the pillow.

Sanosuke and Shinpachi being there too, they just handed the young one the bucket and a cloth without a word and responded to his complaining with more tasks. Once done, they left for a patrol, in the case of the two oldest, and the other went for training. But they noticed the absence of the girls throughout the day as the chores were redistributed amongst the men in the premises. Chizuru, exhausted by the latest happenings, stayed in bed that day, as well as Keiko, who only woke up at nightfall. She was prohibited from standing up or walking around, which offended her a little, but she had to give reason to her doctor when she tried to get on her feet and met the _tatamis_. The two young women only ate their meal and went back to sleep until the next day.

Chizuru was back the day after, undertaking the work she had left while she rested. As for her friend, it took another three days for her to stand and be able to walk around and stay awake more than a few hours. Still, with her left arm rendered almost completely unusable from the cut and the bites, she had to get help often, especially to taint her hair. It was Shinpachi, that day, who helped her after she used the bath. The warrior brought in her new chambers the charcoal Kondou-san was providing her with and crushed it into a powder, added water, mixed the whole thing and then dipped his hands in the mixture messily.

"You don't intend to just mess in my hair for fun and paint my face with it, do you?" asked the young woman with a suspect look.

"Come on Keiko-san, am I that much of an idiot that you think I would mess with a disabled woman?" he answered with a jokey smirk.

She twitched when he used the term "disabled" and gave him back his witty smile as he was clearly taunting her.

"You've got something on your nose, right there" she showed him with a fake concerned face.

When he reached to scratch it off, the man blackened his own nose and only noticed when his companion started laughing at him. His two hands being full of the substance, it was not possible for him to remove the stain without aggravating it, so he left it there.

"Time to mess with you hair now, missy!"

He still did a fairly good job, despite the fact that he marked his own clothes more than anything. Harada had fun filling the last spots with the black paste when he finally got there, taking the place of Shinpachi in order for him to get dressed properly. That night, they were going to the _Shimabara_ for affairs, so they had to be presentable. Especially Keiko, since she would have to act as the interpret once again.

When it came to the clothing, the young woman needed the assistance of the spearman once again. The multiple layers, the flat hat, and all the adjustment were too demanding for her injured shoulder, so she posed and he did everything. Once finally done, they joined with the rest of the team and left the headquarters.

It was the very first time since she met them that she set foot outside the walls: Kyoto was magnificent with the autumn leave slowly flying into its streets. The lanterns were already lit, as the day had gone shorter and the dark had already fallen onto the city. The shops were busy with customers, the streets full of elegant ladies and _geishas_ dressed with the prettiest _kimonos_. Everywhere Keiko looked, she saw beautiful things and the guys quickly noticed.

"Have you ever been in a big city?" asked Heisuke when he saw her gawking around.

"Never at night, and never in such a big one."

He laughed, remembering his own first time in Kyoto when they arrived, many months ago. He was probably looking just as much impressed at that time. The others were also having the same reasoning.

"I'm used to flocks of chickens, not flocks of people!" she said half-joking, half-serious.

The guys who heard the pun laughed loudly but were soon asked to stay composed by Hijikata, himself thinking that the allusion to a flock was indeed amusing. When they reached the _Shimabara_, they all settled down as a small glimpse of stress showed up in their attitude. Official diners with associates were a serious business and it was often very demanding for everyone, especially for a group of jokers like them. Their sudden seriousness surprised their interpret and she also became quite solemn as they were all guided by the owner of the place. The group was leaded to an empty room and soon joined by two magnificent _geishas_, but their hosts were nowhere to be seen.

There was an unspeakable uneasy feeling in the place as they waited for almost an hour. The best efforts of the artists didn't succeed in soothing the atmosphere and it quickly became very tense.

"They are disrespecting our group once again, aren't they? How wonderful." spoke Souji with his usual sarcasm.

His words attracted his friends' infuriated glares, but he didn't react to their anger. Keiko, gone for the last five minutes to get some fresh air, wasn't back yet, as well as Saito, who accompanied her just in case. In an irritated voice, Hijikata had ordered Heisuke to go take a look around and see if there wasn't some sort of mistake involved in that ridiculous situation, but he came back with sour news:

"The associates are not here. They are not coming."

The group sighed with grief before he added:

"They have sent a representative; he should be there shortly, according to the messenger."

Their chief frowned at this bad news, but still chose to order their meal in the meantime. It wasn't even done that a guest was introduced to them. At the very moment they set eyes on him, they jumped on their feet and adopted a defensive position in front of the man they immediately recognized: Amagiri Kyuujyu, an _oni_.


End file.
